CNN 2012-03-30

 First up today, we’re updating you on the crisis in Syria. You’ve heard us talk about this this year. It’s been going on for more than a year now. The United Nations estimates that more 9,000 people have been killed in the violence. Now, we might be seeing the first step towards peace in Syria. Former U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan whom you see right here, says Syria’s government has agreed to his plan to stop the violence. That would include an end to fighting and allowing humanitarian 1 aid in for the victims. The U.N. Security Council endorsed 2 Annan’s plan last week. He is urging Syria to put it into effect immediately. But as of yesterday, the fighting had not stopped. Some areas, like you see in this YouTube video, were being hit by artillery 3 fire. Reports said at least 57 people were killed in Syria on Tuesday. 

 
Well, if you’ve been watching our show this week, you already know that the U.S. Supreme 4 Court is hearing a case about President Obama’s 2010 health care reform law. One of the main reasons this is end up in front of the Supreme Court is a controversial part of the law called the individual mandate 5. It says that by 2014 most Americans either have to buy health insurance or to face a financial penalty. Renee Marsh 6 looks at the controversy 7 surrounding this mandate. 
 
Protesters who’re for and against the Affordable 8 Care Act gathered outside the Supreme Court building as a historic hearing is underway. President Obama signed the massive 2,700-page of Affordable Care Act to law in March, 2010. Parts of it are already in effect, like people with preexisting conditions are guaranteed coverage 9 and most under the age of 26 can remain under their parents’ medical plan. But the main focus of the lawsuit 10 is the requirement that almost every American purchases medical coverage by 2014 or faces a financial penalty. 
 
“If the court upholds that, could the federal government then order you to eat carrots?”
 
Opponents argued that forcing Americans to buy a commercial product is unconstitutional and what they call Obamacare gives too much power to the government. But the federal government argues everyone will need health care at some point, and currently tens of millions of the uninsured are costing taxpayers 11 and hospitals more, to the tune 12 of $43 billion in uncompensated costs just in 2008. 
 
“We’re going to be very glad they called it Obamacare. You’re going to see more people covered. You’re going to see savings 13 in the health care system.”
 
It’s perhaps the most important Supreme Court challenge in more than a decade, with health care likely a big issue during this fall’s presidential election, all eyes are locked on the nation’s high court. 
 
It’s March 28, and on this day back in 1854, Britain and France declared war on Russia as part of the Crimean War. The conflict lasted nearly two and a half years. In 1881, P.T. Barnum and James Bailey merged 14 their circuses to form the Greatest Show on Earth. And in 1979, a pressure valve failed to close at the Tree Mile Island nuclear power plant. That caused the worst accident in the history of the U.S. nuclear power industry. 
 
Checking out some other headlines happening today, starting with a wildfire that authorities say has killed at least two people. This thing is burning in Colorado in an area of mountains near the capital city of Denver. Imagine an area that covers around 4,500 football fields, if you can wrap your mind around that. That’s about how much this fire had already burned by yesterday afternoon. It already destroyed more than a dozen buildings. Hundreds of firefighters were trying to get the thing under control. And it actually started out as a controlled burn. That’s a fire that’s started on purpose to clear dead wood and brush. This one jumped outside of the controlled area. Then high winds and dry conditions helped it spread quickly. 
 
From Colorado, we’re heading down to the Gulf 15 of Mexico. Researchers are exploring the impact of the massive oil spill that happened in the Gulf in 2010. A new report this week focused on a colony of coral that’s about 4,300 feet below the ocean’s surface. Scientists say this coral was covered in oil that had the same chemical makeup 16 as oil from the well where the spill happened. This coral wasn’t near the well, though, it was about seven miles away. One of the researchers said it’ll probably be a while before the long-term impact of this oil spill is understood. But discoveries like this will help that process. 
 
This was the scene along the Japanese coastline when a massive earthquake and tsunami 17 hit the country last year. Cars, houses, all sorts of debris 18 washed out into the ocean. It didn’t stay near Japan, though. That debris traveled out into the Pacific and a year after the quake and tsunami, part of it showed up all the way over in Canada. For example, this fishing ship, it was spotted 19 near British Columbia recently. Officials say other than some rust 20, it looks to be in pretty good condition. No one was steering 21 or even on board. The tsunami had knocked it loose from its mooring 22 and sent it drifting all the way across the Pacific.